With just 10 Matchweeks remaining, the pressure is increasing on the teams fighting to stay in the Premier League.
The three promoted clubs - Luton Town, Burnley and Sheffield United - make up three of the bottom four, with Nottingham Forest one point behind Luton in 18th. Everton and Brentford are just above the relegation zone.
But just how many points are needed for any of those clubs to guarantee safety?
| Position Pos | Club | Played Pl | GD | Points Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 |
Everton
EVE
|
38 | -11 | 40 |
| 16 |
Brentford
BRE
|
38 | -9 | 39 |
| 17 |
Nott'm Forest
NFO
|
38 | -18 | 32 |
| 18 |
Luton
LUT
|
38 | -33 | 26 |
| 19 |
Burnley
BUR
|
38 | -37 | 24 |
| 20 |
Sheffield Utd
SHU
|
38 | -69 | 16 |
Is 40 points a myth?
For years, the mythical total of 40 points has been widely touted as the figure needed to maintain your top-flight status. However, it has frequently been lower than that.
In the last 20 years only one side have been relegated with as many as 39 points, forcing their rivals to match or beat that figure to stay up.
In fact over the last 28 seasons where the Premier League has had 20 clubs, the team finishing 18th - the highest to go down - have averaged 35.2 points. So on average 36 points have been enough to stay up.
West Ham United’s 42 points in 2002/03 remain the most for a relegated side over that period, while only two other teams have finished in the bottom three with 40+ points: Sunderland in 1996/97 and Bolton Wanderers the following season.
West Bromwich Albion's 34 points in 2004/05 make them the team with the lowest total to stay in the Premier League.
Points for 18th-placed teams
| Season | Pts | Season | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995/96 | 38 | 2009/10 | 30 |
| 1996/97 | 40 | 2010/11 | 39 |
| 1997/98 | 40 | 2011/12 | 36 |
| 1998/99 | 36 | 2012/13 | 36 |
| 1999/00 | 33 | 2013/14 | 33 |
| 2000/01 | 34 | 2014/15 | 35 |
| 2001/02 | 36 | 2015/16 | 37 |
| 2002/03 | 42 | 2016/17 | 34 |
| 2003/04 | 33 | 2017/18 | 33 |
| 2004/05 | 33 | 2018/19 | 34 |
| 2005/06 | 34 | 2019/20 | 34 |
| 2006/07 | 38 | 2020/21 | 28 |
| 2007/08 | 36 | 2021/22 | 35 |
| 2008/09 | 34 | 2022/23 | 34 |
*this article was updated following Nottingham Forest being deducted four points for a breach of the Premier League’s Profitability and Sustainability Rules. That decision is currently under appeal.
